Colorado is full of resorts, camping friendly, and hike-to hot spring locations, some of which are even swimsuit-optional! With the winter months closing in, we’re going to share our favorite hot springs surrounding the mile-high city that are easily accessible all year round. Call this “hot springs, part one!” Part two will be soon to follow closer to spring, so check back or follow us on Instagram to see its debut.
As a note of reassurance, all of the hot springs listed below have measures in place to ensure a distanced experience that’s comfortable for all visitors during this time. With that, let’s meet our five contenders:
Indian Hot Springs
Map to: 302 Soda Creek Rd, Idaho Springs, CO 80452
Indian Hot Springs is one of Denver’s closest hot spring locations. Conveniently located off I-70 just 45 minutes west of downtown Denver (or by way of the CDOT West Line plus a short walk), the indoor swimming pool sits beneath a large glass dome at a welcoming 115-degrees. Rainforest greenery surrounds the pool, offering an escape to a world seemingly distant from dipped Colorado temps! It also hosts geothermal caves that were carved out in the early 1900s. The caves are gender-specific and swimsuits are optional.
Pricing: $18-$20/ person for two hours in the swimming pool, $22-$24/person for the caves and can be accessed on a first-come, first-served basis. Make sure to visit their guest info page and sign a waiver prior to visiting.
Strawberry Park Natural Hot Springs
Map to: 44200 Co Rd 36, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
Labeled as one of the best-known locations by Denverites for hot spring-ing is Strawberry Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs. It’s about a three-hour drive from Denver, the Strawberry Hot Springs resort features a number of natural hot spring pools. Some of the pools close during the winter months, but we suggest taking a courageous jump into the cold creek located right next to the pools before sinking into a relaxing soak. If you’re not leveraging shuttle transportation up to the springs from downtown Steamboat, just make sure you have 4WD and good seasonal tires since the last road leading there is unpaved.
Pricing: $20/person and reservations are currently required prior to visiting.
Hot Sulphur Hot Springs
Map to: 5609 Spring Rd, Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451
The Hot Sulphur Springs Resort & Spa sits about two hours west of Denver on I-70 and US-40, near Kremmling. It hosts 21 mineral pools with outdoor and indoor options! Booking is hosted on their website in two-hour increments and you can easily ditch your car, book a Greyhound ticket for less than $50 roundtrip and make an overnight trip of it. During the summer months, we recommend taking a short 15-minute walk back in time by visiting the Pioneer Village Museum after you’ve had your fair share of springs-soaking.
Pricing: $20/person for two hours
Iron Mountain Hot Springs
Map to: 281 Centennial St, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
Glenwood hosts a number of hot spring soaking spots, the most popular of which is Iron Mountain Hot Springs. It’s home to one very large geothermal pool and 16 smaller hot spring pools. What makes this place especially optimal to visit during the winter months is the heated walkways connecting all the pools, not to mention the absolutely gorgeous mountain backdrop! Glenwood is a 2.5-hour drive from Denver or a 4.5-hour $10 CDOT ticket on the West Line from Union Station.
Pricing: $25/ person for 2.5 hours and reservations are currently required prior to visiting.
Mount Princeton Hot Springs
Map to: Mt. Princeton Hot Springs, Colorado 81236
Let’s head south of Denver to Nathrop where Mount Princeton Hot Springs awaits your visit. Just a short 2.5-hour drive from Denver, Mt. Princeton hosts three year-round pools – one for swimming, another for optimal soaking, and the last for relaxing. The big draw, though, is the neighboring Chalk Creek where a variety of rock-lined natural hot springs make an appearance and visitors can soak in shallow warm mineral water taking in sights of Mt. Princeton’s peak 14,000 feet above. Snowmelt runoff typically closes these delightful creeks during the spring and summer months. The hot springs are also a short drive from Saint Elmo, a ghost town about 25 minutes west of the hot springs.
Pricing: $20-$25/ person and family groups or groups traveling together are preferred to soak together.
Whether you’ve just moved to Denver or are a born and bred member of America’s Mile-High City, visiting hot springs once the Colorado chills have set in is a must. For more local information about the city, or to learn more about apartment life and pricing in Denver, subscribe to our emails!
